PAX East 2017 – D&D Beyond Got Announced, And We Completely Missed It

When we were walking into PAX East 2017, I was like a spoiled kid marching into Disneyland. Three strides in front of everyone else, stomping around the show floor like I owned the place, DETERMINED to find the Dungeons & Dragons booth. We badgered Chris Perkins and Greg Tito via email and DM the entire weekend (sorry guys, we love you a lot), we interrogated Enforcers, we stalked the tabletop area, but we found NOTHING. My original joke was going to be “we Nat 1’d our investigation check” but I can’t even say that. There was no table unturned, no Enforcer un-questioned, and we went home empty handed.

So imagine my surprised when I got home for the weekend, and saw that the sly devils over at Wizards of the Coast announced, AT PAX EAST 2017, that they were coming out with a comprehensive digital companion to Dungeons & Dragons, called D&D Beyond. I racked my brain for answers. Where did I go wrong? What could I have possibly missed? But no answers came. I just had to sit there, accept defeat, and read about the app secondhand. Next time, Gadget. Next time.

Anyway, D&D Beyond is a pretty involved digital toolset that encompasses a character builder, full compendium of all published fifth edition content, and tons more. It’s in beta right now, and that beta is going to ‘unlocked’ in three phases as WotC collects feedback and rolls out new features. Currently, you can head to the website right now and explore the Compendium, Listings, & Forums. Phase 2 will introduce the all-digital Character Builder & Character Sheet, and Phase 3 will introduce Homebrew Integration & Campaign Management. Personally, I’m most excited to get to the homebrew integration, since the entire campaign that I play is from our own imaginations, not from the pages of a published Fifth Edition sourcebook.

No matter what class you play, or if you’re a DM or PC, you’ll find something to get excited about with D&D Beyond. Even through the crippling disappointment from not finding out about it at PAX, I’m still stoked. Keep up with us on Twitter and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes right here for more D&D news!